King Jong-il's entry to the WPK Central Committee in North Korea Date in the current year: June 19, 2018

In 2015, a new public holiday was added to the official calendar of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. On June 19, North Koreans celebrate King Jong-il's entry to the WPK (Worker's Party of Korea) Central Committee in 1964.

Kim Jong-il was the Supreme Leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He was born in 1941 to Kim Il-sung, who would become the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the leader of the WPK.

While receiving education, Kim Jong-il became interested in politics. He took an active part in study groups of political theory and youth political movement. He joined the WPK in 1961 and entered the party's Central Committee on June 19, 1964 following his graduation from Kim Il-sung University. The date of June 19 is stated in his official biography. By 1980, he took complete control of the Party operation.

June 19 has been observed as a commemorative day for quite some time, but it was finally recognized as a national holiday in 2015. It's full name is “the day that the great leader Comrade Kim Jong-il started work at the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea”. It is most likely an attempt to formalize the beginning of Kim Jong-il's “revolutionary history”.